Co-author: Rebecca Grady (University of California,
Irvine) The explanations that forensic scientists offer for their findings in reports
and testimony should meet two important requirements: first, they should be
scientifically correct—warranted by the underlying findings; second, they should
be understandable to the lay audiences, such as lawyers and jurors, who will
rely upon the reports and testimony. This presentation will describe a series of
studies exploring lay reactions to quantitative statements about the weight of
forensic evidence. Key issues examined include the way in which various formats
for describing the weight of forensic evidence affect: (1) people’s sensitivity
to important variations in the weight of the forensic evidence; (2) people’s
susceptibility to fallacious misinterpretation of forensic evidence; and (3) the
logical coherence of judgments made on the basis of forensic evidence.
Implications of this research for forensic practice and legal policy will be
discussed.

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